What, you’re thinking of skipping your vacation again!

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What, you’re thinking of skipping your vacation again!

Hard as it is to believe that Americans throw away an estimated 415 million vacation days every year by skipping their vacation! Tanveer Naseer is a leadership coach, speaker, and writer. He is also the Principal and Founder of Tanveer Naseer Leadership, a leadership coaching firm that works with managers and executives to help them develop leadership and team-building competencies to guide organizational growth and development. If you are in a leadership role at your place of work, not taking time off from work can prove to be more harmful than beneficial for you or your organization, he wrote in a recent blog. He posted four reasons as to why you should be going on vacation this summer.

1. Revive your productivity, and with it, your team’s
We all know that small breaks throughout the day help us over the short term, but it’s vital that we take longer breaks from work to sustain and even build our creativity and productivity, say Tanveer. He goes on to say that “Being away from your work environment for a longer period of time will help you gain a fresh perspective about your work, as well as providing you with the opportunity to pursue your other interests.” And finally, Tanveer writes that skipping your vacation can have a deleterious effect on the organization’s morale. It creates frustration and makes the rest of the team think that if the boss isn’t taking a vacation, they may better not take one.

2. Vacation time is part of your remuneration; it’s not a job perk
Remember when you applied for the job? Wasn’t how many vacation days you get part of the package? Tanveer says that vacation time is part of your remuneration for doing the job. It’s not a perk. It’s a return on the investment of our time and expertise in helping our organization to reach its objectives. Would you not accept a bonus at the end of the year? Of course, you would accept it! That’s how we need to think of vacations.

3. Serve as a role model for others in your team
Whether you are in a leadership role or an employee, you need to take a vacation! Employees will look to their leaders for guidance on what is allowed and what is frowned upon. What you model at work will determine what your employees do. Despite the workloads that may be building on your desks, it is still very important to take time off work to maintain your role’s effectiveness.

4. So whether you’re in Bora Bora or Hawaii, show your team they can manage without you
While we all like to think that we’re indispensable, the reality is we need to encourage the company’s growth and overall morale. Taking time off from work will encourage team members to develop strategies and abilities that will help them learn how to effectively hold down the fort while you’re away. We need our leaders and employees to bring their best efforts to reaching the organization’s goals. And the best way we can encourage this is to make sure everyone takes their vacations to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to attain their shared goals.

While this article was written from a leadership role, suffice it to say that employees benefit as well from the four points made above about why skipping your next vacation is so not worth it!

Let us help you bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to your workplace by planning a Boomerang Escapes vacation today!

 

*Article reprinted with permission from Annette Gaddis of Much Needed Vacations
*Photo courtesy of Australia Tourism/ Photographer Mike Newling



Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI. 

She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds.  Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind.  She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember.  With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.

Lisa RossmeisslWhat, you’re thinking of skipping your vacation again!
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The Australian War Memorial

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The Australian War Memorial is located in Canberra, Australia’s capital.

Canberra is a beautifully laid-out city with about 350,000 people making it the 8th largest in the country. A stop in Canberra is something you should consider for your Australia itinerary, and the Australian War Memorial is a must-visit.

I was fortunate to visit this fine city in October of 2011 as part of a Southern Capitals Tour offered by AATKings. Our tour took us from Sydney to Melbourne with an overnight in Canberra. The coolest thing about our arrival that day was that we had just missed the Queen of England who was in town to pay her respects at the Memorial. We got to see the wreath she left behind during our tour.

The Australians use the red poppy flower as a symbol of remembrance for the fallen soldiers. The walls are lined with poppies stuck amongst the names. We were actually given poppies to show our respect at the tomb of the unknown soldier. That is where the wreath above was laid by the Queen.

A visit to this place will show you just how similar the histories of Australia and the United States are. It also gives history and insight into our alliance during the war. The Australian War Memorial has three parts. The first is the Commemorative Area (shrine), including the Hall of Memory with the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. The second is the museum. The third part is the Research Centre. The Memorial also has an outdoor Sculpture Garden. The Memorial is currently open daily from 10 am until 5 pm, except on Christmas Day. A unique thing about this place is you have a direct view of the Parliament House despite no roads that provide a direct link. Each year on April 25, they celebrate ANZAC Day. Anzac day is a day to remember the Australian who served and died in all war, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Not unlike our own Memorial Day.

Be sure to consider a visit to one of the world’s greatest museums. It will be a moving and unforgettable experience you are not to forget!

 


Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI. 

She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds.  Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind.  She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember.  With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.

Lisa RossmeisslThe Australian War Memorial
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